Tú Eres Mi Sol

XXV

It has been a month since the Gala event. 

Dei and Richard have been busy with their own activities. Dei is on her last year at the University.

"Dei! I'm heading to the pub with the others, join us!"

"Michel-Jan, I have a few papers due tomorrow. I can't"

"Bollocks! What's a few drinks. I reckon you'll write better after"

"Not me. A lightweight you know"

"Alright then, if you change your mind, you know where to find us!" the guy runs the opposite direction.

***

"RJ!!!"

"Hey Dei!"

"I can't see you! Why is it so dark there?"

RJ turns on the lamp in the room. "Better?"

"Yes! Why are you in bed?"

"What time is it there?"

"A little past two in the afternoon. Where are you by the way? That doesn't look like your room? Oh, are you with someone?"

"What? No! I'm in Japan. I think I've told you every time we've spoken this month."

Dei opens a bag of crisps and starts eating

"Sorry I keep on forgetting!"

"Looks like you haven't had lunch"

"I haven't"

Richard shakes his head

"I know I know, I should try eating healthy. Don't worry I will eat grass and carrots later! Happy?

Richard just shrugs it off. Richard closes his eyes.

"Don't you sleep on me! RJ! Jay!"

"I've been up since 4.30 am!" Richard whined

"What? Why? Wait, you've been there for 3 weeks now, what have you been doing there?"

"Wait, Dei! Let me just splash my face with water to wake myself up and get some water"

"Okay.. " (chomp, chomp)

Richard comes back several minutes later, still wiping his face with a face towel. Opens a bottled water and drinks from it.

"Okay, ready when you are!"

"RJ, that bottled water, did you get it from the hotel's mini fridge?" (chomp, chomp)

"What? Of course not! I got it from the grocery next door. I bought a whole box. I was raised better!"

"Very good boy. Give yourself a pat on the back"

Richard gives himself a pat on the back and they both burst into laughter.

"So, what's up?"

"RJ, the clouds and the rain. It's always raining here!"

They both laugh again.

"RJ, I've been thinking?"

"Food? Pizza? Pasta?"

Dei laughs.

"No, silly boy. Not that. My professor said that next term I could already take additional subjects if I want to go for my masters."

"That's good, isn't it? That'll help lessen the time for your masters"

"I don't know. Maybe take a gap year after?"

"Huh? Why?"

"..."

"Since you can't explain, no to gap year! Finish school as fast as you can and come home"

"Maybe I should just finish this year yeah? And no masters for now"

"That sounds better to me, well at least for now. You can always take your masters anytime"

"I agree. (chomp, chomp) Wait, why were you up at 4.30 in the morning?"

"I was planting, I needed to be up before sunrise"

"Planting what? RJ, YOU'RE NOT PLANTING ILLEGAL SUBSTANCES, ARE YOU? WAIT, I HAVE TO BOOK A FLIGHT GOING THERE, I NEED TO HIT YOU IN THE HEAD!"

"What? No. Why would I do that? I was able to get in touch with a farming community here through one of my university classmates. They have one of the most successful implementation of renewable energy. I just completed my 3-week immersion with them today."

"Is that for the land that you bought?"

"Yeah. I want to build a sustainable organic farm that uses renewable energy."

"Are you going to be there for long?"

"Another week perhaps, I have to get in touch with the suppliers of the solar panels and wind turbines. I'd want to negotiate the prices and work out delivery dates."

"Sounds like a good plan. I'll just go to the loo. I'll be back in a jiffy!"

Richard has been working for his family's business for six months now. The projects he worked have been successful, so far. This farm project is his first major project. Richard didn't really want to work for the family, not for anything else but it was harder to make a mark. 

His Dad, Ricardo, is a very good businessman. He was able to expand the business and acquire some more and he admired his strategic planning, able to see things for what can be not what it is currently. His mother, Rose, when she retired from show business took the reins of the farms and developed juice concentrates, jams, preserves and other by-products that reduced the wastage of the agricultural products that they produced.

Dei and Richard, they were always a team and she'll do anything to help him be successful. Even as kids, they were a tandem, they'd do things together even get in trouble. At one point, Rose called them double trouble. Those were the days, Dei recalled. She knew that Richard had a competitive streak and also worked so hard that sometimes he forgot to take care of himself. She set-up reminders in her phone to remind her to call Richard every other day to ask how he is. 

When Dei came back, she could see that Richard was already dozing off. She checked the time in Japan, it was half past midnight.

She touched her phone and stroked it, as if she was stroking his face, kissed his forehead and said,"Good night baby boy, you've had a long day today. I'm always proud of you. Sweet dreams." and turned off the video call.